Road Trippin
by Utenakun
Summary: A possible ending to Faith Erin Hick's ongoing online comic, Demonology 101, with MalxRaven fluffiness. Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers. 1s.


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Title: Road Trippin'

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Author: Utenakun

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Series: Demonology 101

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Summary: This is a short songfic based on a really great online comic, Demonology 101 by Faith Erin Hicks. () Basically, it deals with a young demon girl called Raven, who has been raised in a fairly normal lifestyle by a human, Gabe. The Powers That Be (Demonkind), won't let her live in peace, though, because she's rather more crucial than she seems, with a long battle ahead of her. There's a lot more to the story than that, but any more would be telling. ^_~ Although this is intended to take place after the comic is over, it hasn't actually finished yet, so I have no idea if this is even a partially accurate ending. Oh, well-- it's pretty much just meant to be a happily- ever- after fluff fic, anyway.

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Rating: PG

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Disclaimer: Every character/situation here is the creation of Faith Erin Hicks, not me, definetely not me. And while we're at it, let me just say that I would never _think_ of stealing or taking credit from such an incredible artist. I don't own "Road Trippin," and certainly not the RHCP (which would be odd, seeing as they released albums before I was born).

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Notes: This fic is quite old, one of my first from at least three years back, and… um... wow. Don't know what to say about this one. Except that I probably should've given up and just trashed the whole thing. *shudders* Be that as it may… well, here it is. For whatever entertainment you can glean out of it.

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Road trippin with my two favorite allies

Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies

Its time to leave this town

Its time to steal away

Lets go get lost

Anywhere in the U.S.A.

"Maps?" 

"Check!" 

"Music?" 

"Check!" 

"Surfboards?" 

"Check!" 

"Okay, great. Raven, hurry up, we're-" 

"Hey, wait a sec! You forgot something REALLY IMPORTANT, Mal!" 

"No, I- oh. Riiiiight." (with a roll of the eyes) "Snacks and candy?" 

"Checkcheckcheckcheck- WHOOOOOO!!! HELL YEAH!!! ROAD TRIP TIME, BABY!!!" 

Raven paused mid-sentence with Gabe, turned to Mal and to Mackenzie, who was sitting on the hood of her car, an insanely giggling heap. "Can you believe that we've consented to spend five weeks with her in a tiny, cramped sedan?" She motioned to Mackenzie, her deep red eyes sparkling with excitement. 

Mal smothered a grin, made a good approximation of a shiver of horror, and said, "No, I really can't. Who tricked me into this?" 

Raven laughed and turned back to Gabe, saying in rapid succession, "Yes, I've got my cell phone and charger, yes, I'll call you often, yes, I've got plenty of money, don't worry!" She hugged him. "Love you, Gabe."

The worried lines on Gabe's face smoothed out as he smiled and hugged her back. "Love you too, Raven. Be careful, okay?" 

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So much as come before; those battles lost and won

This life is shining more forever in the sun

Now let us check our heads

And let us check the surf

Staying high and dry's

More trouble than its worth

In the sun. 

John snorted as he reached out to tousle Raven's hair. "Please. After what we've been through, I'm sure she could manage fifteen axe-wielding maniacs and a bitchy waitress without turning a hair." Raven batted his hand away and smoothed her hair back down, growling, "John, I'm a little bit old to have my hair messed up." 

"Nah," John said breezily, "never! Have fun, Raven; you only get one chance to do something like this right. Oh, and Sachs says sorry he couldn't make it, and, um, Godspeed. That was the actual word he used, too." John's tone was tinged with wry respect. "Sick bastard hasn't lost his sense of humor. He'll be fine, Raven." 

Raven smiled in relief. "Good to hear. Tell him thanks, and Godspeed to him, too. And thank you, John." She paused, smile twisting into a wry grin, and added, "Can we just say 'for everything' and leave it at that?" 

He grinned back. "Sure thing, kiddo. See you later." 

Raven turned to Poe, who immediately embraced her. "We're going to miss you, Raven. John's got the right idea; live it up. You deserve it." 

Raven laughed. "Gotcha. 'Bye, everybody!" She plopped herself in the passenger seat of the car, where Mal and Mackenzie, having already said their goodbyes, were waiting. 

"It's my car, I don't see why Mal gets to drive..." Mack grumbled from the backseat, next to the snacks. 

"Are you kidding?" Mal snorted. "Raven may have fought off Lethe and company without turning a hair, but I wouldn't ask her to brave a trip with you behind the whee-" A can of Pringles thunked solidly against the back of his head, and Raven caught it on the rebound, laughing. "If you two are done, maybe we could leave?" 

Mal started up the car and drove away, while Mack and Raven stuck their heads out the window and waved back at the three adults. Finally, when Gabe, Poe and John were out of sight, they sat back, and all three laughed, giddy with relief. 

"Alright, guys! We're on our own!" Mack crowed, rummaging through the chips. "...where are we going?" 

Mal heaved a long- suffering sigh. "Mack, we went over the itinerary. Weren't you listening?" 

Mack shrugged and smiled at the two of them through a mouthful of chips. "Well, I think I had a new Spiderman comic that day." 

Raven shook her head, smiling. "Trust you, Mack. There's a motel on the interstate we're headed for; we'll sleep there for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll head for the Big Sur." 

"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about! Sun, surf, a couple stick-in- the-mud buddies." 

"Hey!" Mal exclaimed from the driver's seat, "who had to literally be dragged out of bed this morning just so we could leave on time?" 

While Mal and Mack bantered, Raven smiled and looked out the window at the passing scenery. This was their road trip, in the final summer months before going into college. She was glad, of course, that Mal had been accepted at his first choice college, but it wasn't the one she and Mack we're going to, and the prospect of splitting up their group wasn't something she wanted to think about at all. Stop it, she told herself firmly, this is our trip, our chance to relax, and I'm not going to spoil it for myself by thinking too far ahead. Nor would she think too far into the past, to the battle they'd just fought, and, incredibly, come out of more or less unscathed. 

"Hey, yoo-hoo, Raven! How about some music?" Mack's antics cut through Raven's musings, and she started. "Um, sure, what do you want to listen to?" 

"Loud! Electric guitars, man!" 

Raven grinned wickedly. "Sure, I think I can manage that." She popped Bach into the CD player and giggled, waiting for the inevitable explosion. 

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Let's go get lost

Let's go get lost.

These Smiling eyes are just a mirror for

Just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun. 

Poe hugged Gabe as the car sped away. "I can't believe you relaxed enough to let Raven go, but I'm glad you did. They all need time to recuperate." 

Gabe turned his gaze away from the empty road to look at her. "Yeah, I know. But I still worry. I hope she stays okay." 

John clapped a hand to Gabe's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Gabe. They'll take care of each other. Go in, have a drink. You'll probably need something to loosen you up a little," he added with a grin and a prod towards the door. 

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In Big Sur we take some time to linger on

We three hunky dorys got our snakefinger on

Now let us drink the stars

Its time to steal away

Lets go get lost

Right here in the U.S.A. 

Big Sur was great. Following insanely complicated directions, the three friends managed to find an isolated place called Pfeiffer Beach, and surfed and swam there for days. Mack had never liked water, so Mal and Raven had fun trying to coax her in and avoid the various objects she hurled at them from time to time. 

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Let's go get lost

Let's go get lost.

These Smiling eyes are just a mirror for

Just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun. 

"Mack?" Raven asked quietly, walking from the car to Mack's shady lounging spot. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm."

Raven grinned. Maybe the "hmm" was meant to be off-putting, but Raven had been doing a lot of thinking on the trip, in spite of her resolution. She was just thinking in circles now- Mack would have to help straighten her out, whether she liked it or not.

"I guess I've been thinking too much," Raven admitted quietly. "About... you know... everything. Everyone's expectations of me. Gabe's father, Elspeth, even... Aaron... they all knew I'd be something amazing. Something impossible. How desperate Lethe was to get his hands on me, even though he couldn't use me, anyway. It just..." she bit her lip, "it sounds so stupid, but it just gets to me. With everyone's expectations and everything. Gabe, Sachs, Elspeth, Poe, even John... they all know I'm something to-- something to be feared. I don't feel very fearsome. So what am I? A powerful demon? A miracle-worker? Or do the two cancel out, letting me be human?" 

Mack opened her eyes and stared at Raven, with no trace of her usual hyper smile. She answered softly, "I... I was wondering that, for a while. What you are. But I think I finally figured it out." She smiled and put one hand on Raven's shoulder, continuing, "It doesn't matter. To me, or to Mal. You're our friend. My best friend. You're called a demon, but that's supposed to mean that you're evil. You're called an angel, but that supposed to mean you're good. --And trust me, you're not all that good when I wake you up too early," she added with a grin. "So I think all these titles are bullshit. You're Raven. My friend."

After lunch, Mal announced that they should all go on a hike up the bluff to watch the sunset, which was supposed to be exceptionally beautiful. Raven immediately agreed, but Mack balked and said that she wasn't in the mood for a hike, they should just go ahead without her. Neither Mal nor Raven noticed the delighted gleam in Mack's eyes. 

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Green, you sit so pretty

West of the one

Sparkles light with silver icing

Just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun

Just a mirror for the sun. 

The sunset _was_ amazingly beautiful. As the sun slowly darkened to a deep red and sent rays of soft pink and yellow across a navy sky, Raven and Mal reached the top of the hill and sat down side by side to watch and talk softly. 

"Wow. Definitely worth the climb," Raven remarked softly. 

What with Raven's close proximity, and the inherent romance of the scenery, Mal had to content himself with a "Yeah." Really, what more could he say? I want to kiss you? 

"Mal, I'm... I'm really going to miss you when you go to college. Who's going to help me keep Mack under control?" Damn it, hadn't she promised herself she wouldn't think about college, either? Her mind was going on far too many depressing tangents, but there was no hope for it. 

He laughed a little. "No problem. I'll get you duct tape. Besides, I'll be visiting you guys constantly. You're going to get sick of me." 

Raven snorted. "Not likely. More like you're going to get sick of us, inviting you to all our wild parties- you know Mack's going to throw some crazy ones- and showing up at your dorm at totally random times. You're going to have to throw us out if you want to get rid of us." 

At just the idea of avoiding Raven, Mal shook his head. "Me? Get sick of you? Never gonna happen." Abruptly he turned to her. It was the perfect moment... and as long as he didn't think about it, he could do it. So, he bent down and kissed her impulsively. She drew back, startled, for a moment, and then suddenly responded. For a moment they sat there, and she could think of nothing else. 

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These smiling eyes are just a mirror for

These smiling eyes are just a mirror for

Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for. 

"Wait!" Raven broke away. "What- what am I doing?" 

Mal cringed inside, but let her go. "Raven... it's-- it's okay." Well, unless you don't really think of me that way and I've totally overstepped my bounds and you'll never talk to me again, but up until that point, it's okay.

"No..." Avoiding Mal was the last thing Raven had on her mind, but there was still something wrong. "It's not. I... You're leaving. We won't be able to... and Mal, you, you're a human! I'm a demon, Mal, this can't work."

Mal shook his head. Was that really all that was wrong? "Raven, I don't care. Let's just have this, and think about the rest of it later." Tentatively, he kissed her on the cheek. It was true... as long as he could stay here, none of it could matter.

Raven blinked, hearing Mack's words echo so precisely in Mal. She'd been right, after all... and what about his own words? Could this be enough? She sighed and turned back to Mal; there was really only one way to find out. Another kiss.

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These smiling eyes are just a mirror for

These smiling eyes are just a mirror for

Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for

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End file.
